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ROUTE DESCRIPTION

Ascent to the summit of Ortsveri (4220 m) via the North Face, category 3B. The Kazbek high-altitude region closes the eastern part of the Central section of the Greater Caucasus. The most significant peaks in the region are Jimarai-Khokh, Maili-Khokh, Spartak Peak, and Kazbek, forming a mountain chain from west to east, creating the Lateral Ridge of the Greater Caucasus, which is located north of the Main Ridge and significantly surpasses it in terms of absolute altitude. The Orctveri summit is located directly south of Kazbek (5048 m) on the southeastern spur of Spartak Peak. The Orctveri massif (4220 m), like the surrounding massifs, is composed of Kazbek effusives of the andesite type and possibly represents a remnant of a tertiary volcano crater, with the northern edge being the Kazbek summit cone. Between the Kazbek and Orctveri massifs lies the Gergeti Glacier (also known as the Ortsveri Glacier), which feeds the Chkheri River, which flows into the Terek River near the village of Kazbegi. The glacier flows along the base of the North Face of Orctveri, from which smaller hanging glaciers flow, one of which descends from the Ortsveri pass, located northwest of Orctveri on the ridge connecting it to Spartak Peak.